Our Team
Susan Wright, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Government Relations
Susan Wright is a Sustainability Program Manager in San Mateo County's Office of Sustainability, leading climate protection initiatives, and energy efficiency and water conservation programs. Susan hosts a monthly working group to help city sustainability coordinators collaborate to develop, implement, and track climate action plans, and partners with regional stakeholders to scale up and accelerate electrification efforts for existing single-family homes.
Previously as Program Manager at Ecology Action in Santa Cruz, she launched the award-winning WaterLink program to provide door-to-door, direct installation of water-saving equipment to residents and businesses during the severe California drought, serving socially vulnerable communities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties. Earlier in her career, Susan was Editorial Director of Sunset Magazine’s Custom Publishing division, where she led teams to create magazines for corporate clients such as Safeway, Acura, and Procter & Gamble.
As a result of working in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors for nearly 30 years, she recognizes the need for all three to work together to scale up impact. She believes that by working together across sectors -- public agencies, community-based organizations, small businesses and large corporations -- and including voices that have typically been underrepresented, we can co-create innovative solutions to the complex challenges we face. Susan has a Master’s in Public Administration from Presidio Graduate School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Principia College.
Leslie Alden, Co-Founder, Chief Instigator, Executive Director
Leslie Alden has worked at the nexus of public policy, community engagement, and communication for over 35 years and, believing that we can't adapt our way out of the climate crisis, has focused on climate solutions for the last fifteen years. Her career spans public, private, and non-profits sectors, and she sees cross-collaboration as the most effective way to identify and implement solutions that have real results for individuals, communities, and business.
She's been fortunate to be a part of breakthrough initiatives on climate action, including the "David vs. Goliath" effort that launched MCE Clean Energy, California's first Community Choice Energy program and the first in the nation focused on 100% renewable energy. She toured Germany as a guest of the Green Party to see first-hand that country's commitment to a renewable energy transition, and has spoken in the US and Canada on community-based climate action. The 2015 “Here-Now-Us" Project - a partnership between Climate Access, Autodesk, Dr. Susanne Moser, and funded by FEMA - tested a Virtual Reality tool that fostered community engagement and understanding of the local impacts of sea level rise. In 2016, she was instrumental in conceiving of and launching Drawdown Marin, a county-wide campaign to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by engaging every aspect of the community: citizen groups, businesses, and government, which led to the creation of Act Now Bay Area.
A former art director and writer at ad agencies in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Leslie brings a multi-disciplinary approach essential to moving from “talk” to “action.” Borrowing from Dr. King, she recognizes the "fierce urgency of now": the need to implement climate solutions at speed and scale to protect future generations and all life on the planet. Born and raised in San Francisco, she attended Art Center College of Design, has a BA in Education and Public Policy from UC Berkeley, and a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
CJ Koepp, Website & Social Media Communications
CJ Koepp is a climate activist and comedian. Born and raised in the Driftless Area, she studied Political Science & Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. As Chair of the Wisconsin Student Climate Action Coalition, she received the 2021 Bucky Award for Sustainability for her work organizing for climate action, divestment, and environmental justice by coordinating marches, actions, and formal complaints on the UW–Madison campus and in the greater community.
She's worked with organizations including 350 Wisconsin, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the Climate Defense Project, Fossil Free California, the National Resources Defense Council, and Act Now Bay Area. She enjoys painting, reading, hiking, birding, and stand-up comedy.
Caitlin Benedict, SunShares Program Coordinator
Caitlin Benedict comes from a multi-disciplinary background and mindset. Having worked across multiple sectors and with a variety of stakeholders, she believes cross-collaboration is key to advancing equitable and effective climate solutions. She has a Masters degree in social ecology from the University of California Irvine, where she studied climate communications.
She served as an AmeriCorps Fellow with the California Climate Action Corps, working for the City of San Jose on community engagement initiatives including co-creating and implementing a neighborhood sustainability plan in East San Jose. She is coming from BlocPower where she helped residents electrify their homes through incentive programs with local Bay Area governments and community engagement with Central Coast nonprofits and TECH Clean California. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, dancing, and board games.